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忧郁 (yōu yù) — melancholy; depressed; dejected

Definition

A literary, often-romantic word for quiet, lingering sadness — suited to moods, atmosphere, and art, more than everyday feelings. Compared with 抑郁, it is gentler and aesthetic rather than clinical; 沮丧 is a sharper, short-term discouragement.

adjective
melancholydepresseddejected

Examples

  • 忧郁。
    Tā de wēi xiào lǐ cáng zhe yì sī yōu yù.
    There is a hint of melancholy hidden in her smile.
  • 忧郁。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng de fēn wéi hěn yōu yù.
    The atmosphere of this film is very melancholy.
  • 忧郁。
    Tā xiě le yì shǒu yōu yù de shī.
    He wrote a melancholy poem.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

忧yōuworry
郁yùmelancholy

忧 and 郁 both describe low, heavy feelings, so together they mean depressed.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
尤
尤yóu忧yōu
Same sound today

The heart part 心 marks a feeling, and 尤 gives the sound.

Open 忧 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鬱; 郁 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 鬱 shows 林 (forest), 大 (standing person), and 勹 (leaning person), with people hiding in a lush forest; the simplified 郁 is a later abbreviation.

Open 郁 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Emotions & FeelingsMental Health

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